Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 66: The Charm of Boss Cao

Jia Xu, stunned by this series of combination punches, repeatedly tried to explain.

“That blood inscription truly has nothing to do with me…”

However, before Jia Xu could finish speaking, Li Ji abruptly drew a section of the Han sword in his hand, his face extremely gloomy, as if struggling whether to kill the enemy in front of him on the spot.

Instantly, Jia Xu abandoned all thoughts of delaying time to see if he could encounter others passing by, and then amplifying the situation within the government office to maximize his safety.

Li Ji's man-eating appearance made Jia Xu feel that his head would be separated from his body in the next moment.

“Alright, alright, Mr. Zikun, don't be impulsive. Perhaps it's just a matter of the same name. Don't hurt my Wenhe, don't hurt my Wenhe. I'll just follow the general behind me to the mansion first.”

Jia Xu repeatedly agreed, fearing for his life in the next moment.

“Humph!”

Li Ji snorted heavily, then slowly released his hand holding the sword hilt, still saying with extreme resentment.

“Jia Wenhe, this matter better have nothing to do with you, otherwise I will definitely kill you.”

Immediately, Li Ji looked at Zhao Yun and said.

“Then please Zilong take Jia Wenhe back to the mansion to guard him. Be cautious and careful. This man is full of tricks. Don't listen to any of his words, and don't let him out of your sight.”

After a pause, a hint of murderous intent flashed in Li Ji's eyes, and he said.

“If this person makes any improper moves, he can be killed.”

“Mr. Zikun, rest assured, I will definitely keep an eye on him for you. If I let him escape, I am willing to offer my head as an apology.”

Zhao Yun replied, then still pinched Jia Xu's shoulder with one hand, seemingly just casually resting it on Jia Xu's body.

However, as a fierce general who could single-handedly charge into an army of ten thousand, in reality, Jia Xu was almost like a puppet, being pulled by Zhao Yun and walking out of the temporary government office.

Jia Xu's gentle and refined demeanor maintained at the banquet was now replaced by an expression of being seized by the vitals, and he did not dare to resist in the slightest.

As a scholar, being approached by a fierce general like Zhao Yun made Jia Xu unable to do anything other than accept it submissively. Could he jump up and give Zhao Yun a chestnut on the head?

Watching Jia Xu being held hostage by Zhao Yun and leaving, the resentment on Li Ji's face almost disappeared instantly, and then he unconsciously touched the Han sword at his waist.

Easy to use!

Love to use!

Beyond ten steps, my brain may work well, but within ten steps, I directly draw my sword, wrongly accuse you of being my family-exterminating enemy, and want to perish together with you. May I ask, Mr. Wenhe, how should you respond?

Moreover, Li Ji expected that Jia Xu would never do anything that would lead to a dead end, no matter how much he valued his life, after realizing that he was innocent and completely confused.

That is to say, while Zhao Yun was secretly holding Jia Xu hostage and leaving the government office, Jia Xu would definitely not dare to make any rash moves, lest he be really killed by Zhao Yun on the spot.

When Jia Xu is taken back to Liu Bei's mansion, it doesn't matter whether Jia Xu slowly sorts out his thoughts and understands that this is a trap, or puts most of his energy on how to explain it.

With the person confined in the mansion and guarded by Zhao Yun around the clock, even if Lu Bu rides the Red Hare horse to snatch him, he will definitely not be able to take away the complete Jia Wenhe, at most he can only take away half of him from Zhao Yun's hands.

‘The strategy simulator may not be able to break such a scheme to recruit Jia Xu, but simply wanting to control Jia Xu is much simpler…’

‘As for using force against Jia Xu like this, I really don’t know if my lord can successfully recruit him this time, but it doesn’t matter, if he really can’t be recruited, then kill him.’

‘Such a poisonous strategist, my lord can not use him, but he must never let others use him against my lord.’

Li Ji thought silently, pressed the Han sword at his waist, and turned to head towards the toilet.

Just now at the banquet, Li Ji also drank a lot of wine, filling his stomach full.

Although Li Ji's kidneys are naturally excellent, since he's already here, it's good to go to the toilet and then return to the banquet.

When Li Ji returned to the side hall, the banquet was still noisy, and even many scholars began to chant poems to add to the fun.

In addition, there were maids constantly coming in and out to add wine and dishes, so Li Ji's return alone did not attract anyone's attention.

Li Ji glanced at Niu Fu and found that his eyes were so drunk that they were looking in different directions, which made Li Ji feel even more relieved.

Afterwards, Li Ji subtly echoed the people around him in an inconspicuous way, seemingly always drinking, but in fact he was secretly “raising fish”, waiting for the end of the banquet to leave with Liu Bei.

However, this time it was a celebration banquet for the Han army's great victory over the Yellow Turbans, and the scale was obviously much larger than Li Ji had expected.

The banquet lasted from noon until nightfall before it ended.

Even though the alcohol content at this time was low, not to mention the scholars present, even many military generals were mostly swaying from side to side, and occasionally shaking back and forth, showing their drunkenness.

When Li Ji got up and waited for Liu Bei outside the main hall, Liu Bei, with a flushed face and extremely blurred eyes, was being supported out by Cao Cao.

Moreover, while Liu Bei was staggering, he did not forget to make a gesture of drinking, raising his cup towards the front and saying vaguely.

“Wentai… you… you can rest assured, Bei, since I have come to Wu Commandery to serve as the governor… I will definitely… definitely take good care of your… family…”

“Hic~”

“Wentai… have… have another drink, Bei is very happy… with your… your bold temperament… If Bei hadn’t already sworn brotherhood with my second and third brothers, I might have had to swear brotherhood with you today…”

Seeing this, Li Ji couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

Truly, a person's character is revealed in their drinking habits.

Even if Liu Bei was so drunk that he couldn't open his eyes, he was still trying to win over Sun Jian.

Li Ji followed the direction Liu Bei came from and looked behind him.

He saw that Sun Jian, who was like a fierce tiger, was now completely lying on the table, completely drunk, and still snoring loudly.

Seeing this, Li Ji shook his head helplessly, and hurriedly stepped forward to take Liu Bei from Cao Cao's hands, saying.

“Thank you, State Chancellor Cao. I can take care of my lord from now on.”

Now, except for Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and other generals who need to return to Luoyang to report on their duties and exchange military power before the final rewards are given.

The rewards for the rest of the people, as the Yellow Turban Rebellion was basically quelled, the emperor couldn't wait to change the era name, grant amnesty to the world, and reward each according to their merits, to show the world's peace.

At this moment, it officially entered the first year of Zhongping.

Therefore, Liu Bei was appointed as the governor of Wu Commandery, Cao Cao was appointed as the state chancellor of Jinan State, and Sun Jian only received the position of a separate commander.

This was not a real military position, not even as good as a colonel, and Sun Jian would have to go to Luoyang to stay in the army and listen to orders in the future.

Perhaps, it was because of this.

Sun Jian, who was quite disappointed in his heart, was so drunk just now, and even heard Liu Bei clamoring that he would definitely take good care of Sun Jian's family.

After all, a separate commander has no autonomy, let alone returning to his hometown of Wu Commandery to visit relatives.

Moreover, after being separated for many years, being in the army, if there is an accident, Sun Jian may die in a foreign land in the future, and he can only return to his hometown in spirit.

Li Ji's thoughts kept turning, and he almost instantly understood the relationship between Liu Bei and Sun Jian. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao did not hand Liu Bei over to Li Ji, but continued to support Liu Bei, saying.

“I heard Xuande mention that Mr. Zikun is weak and frail, so I won’t trouble you, sir. I can support Xuande.”

Weak and frail??

Li Ji.

Okay, okay, my lord, is it really appropriate to spread rumors like this outside?

Is it because my lord spends every day with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, that he has some misunderstanding about the average martial strength in this world, so he has started spreading rumors that I am weak and frail outside.

However, in front of outsiders, Li Ji still needed to save some face for Liu Bei, so he could only smile awkwardly.

Immediately, while letting Cao Cao support Liu Bei, Li Ji looked at Cao Cao, and was quite surprised to find that Cao Cao's face was ruddy, his eyes were clear and wise, and he showed no signs of being drunk at all.

Compared to Liu Bei, who was almost a lump of mud, Cao Cao was even more like a lord.

‘As expected of Boss Cao, who wrote "Singing Aloud to Wine, How Short is Life", this alcohol capacity… I'm afraid my lord won't be able to catch up even if he practices for a lifetime.’

Li Ji secretly commented, not forgetting to regain some reputation for himself, and said.

“State Chancellor Cao, you are laughing at me. What weak and frail words, I think it was my lord's drunken words, don't take it seriously.”

“Mr. Zikun, there is no need to be so polite, just call Cao Cao Mengde.”

Cao Cao said, while naturally switching the supported Liu Bei to another direction, so that Liu Bei would not affect his conversation with Li Ji.

Hearing this, Li Ji hesitated slightly, and cupped his hands in response.

“Mengde.”

“Hahaha…”

Cao Cao laughed heartily, showing no sign of the heroic figure in Li Ji's impression, but exuding a captivating charm, and then said.

“Zikun, I heard Xuande say many things about you at the banquet just now…”

“I heard that you deduced in the thatched cottage in Zhuo County that the Yellow Turbans would arrive within ten days, I heard that you used troops in Daxing Mountain to defeat enemies dozens of times your number with two thousand troops, I heard that you suggested marching through Zhongshan State and bypassing Changshan State to directly insert into the rear, I heard that you went deep behind enemy lines and played Julu City in the palm of your hand, I heard that you made a plan on the spot at Boluojin to force Zhang Jiao to self-immolate…”

“I have long been yearning for Zikun, and if I can have a long talk with Zikun, it will be enough to comfort the rest of my life.”

It has to be said that Liu Bei's sincerity towards people was his defining trait, inspiring them to be moved and willing to die for him.

However, Cao Cao's art of speaking was undoubtedly far above Liu Bei's. His words and phrases captivated and delighted people. Although they were just words of praise, when spoken by Cao Cao, they were delivered with cadence and emphasis, as if stating a fact.

Unknowingly, Cao Cao led Li Ji to the main entrance of the government office, ordering a carriage that had been waiting for a long time to drive up to them, and said.

“Zikun, there’s no time like the present. Why don’t you and I go to my residence right now to have a few more drinks and discuss things in detail?”